Self-Control 4

Matthew 15:11

Whenever we need our children to set the table, empty the dishwasher, or sit down to eat we must remind them to wash their hands. It is the best way to prevent the spread of disease and avoid illness. The germs and dirt we gather on our hands can be brought into our bodies through contact with food and dishes.

But sometimes our worries about contamination remain focused on the outward and not on what is on the inside. What does Jesus have to say about the Jewish concern of uncleanliness? What makes us unclean?

I don’t think Jesus was telling us that we need not worry about washing our hands or observe regular cleanliness practices for our health. I do believe he was addressing the common problem of the outside not matching up with the inside.

The simple fact that we call ourselves Christians automatically presents an outward appearance that others may perceive. As Christians people expect us to be caring and kind, sacrificial and humble. And there are many who are skilled at giving the appearance of righteousness – in their dress, in their superficial behaviors, and in their words. On the outside so many may look pious and pure, but it is the inside that we must be concerned about.

Some think that if we avoid associating with people who are not Christian or even blatant sinners we can remain holy and pure. While I do not endorse immersing yourself in a culture of earthly pleasures, I do believe that we need to be aware of what is inside our hearts as much as we are with what is around us.

The best way to be in control of how you are perceived and how you behave is to be in control of what is in your heart. We need to do more than tame our tongues. We need to tame our hearts and make them full of the love of God, so that love might overflow from us into the world around us.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Evaluate what is flowing out of your heart. Is your attitude one of loving kindness?

For our friends who have expressed concerns regarding HIS Home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti – we have heard from Hal and Chris, who operate the orphanage. There were a few cracks in the walls of the houses and one of the walls surrounding the yard suffered some damage, but the orphanage is okay and all of the children are safe.
As of Thursday, January 14, they had not heard from one of their employees, a man named Junior who lived in a neighborhood hit hard by the quake. Please continue to pray for all of them.

Self-Control 3

Luke 6:45

It is very disturbing to take a big drink of milk only to discover the milk has gone sour. You were expecting some cool, refreshing, wholesome milk, but instead you get a mouthful of nastiness. Sometimes the unexpected shock of it is more disturbing than the taste.

In Luke Jesus has a comment on the words of believers. What comes from a good person? What comes from an evil person? Where does this good and evil come from?

It is no surprise to know that good comes from a good person and that bad comes from an evil person. The twist is at the end of the statement. This evil that wells up comes from the heart.

Maybe that doesn’t shock you. But what may shock you is when a person who claims to be a Christian has evil spew from his or her mouth.

We encounter it all the time. There are many people who go to worship, carry a Bible, attend small group studies, and call themselves Christian, yet they are the same people who spread rumors about others. They are the same people who make disparaging and bigoted comments about people of other races and nationalities. They are the same people who verbally run down people of different lifestyles.

It seems they are not aware that we are all God’s children. We are all loved by God and all saved through Jesus, because Christ died for all the world.

As Christians we should be speaking words of love and compassion, performing acts of mercy, and spreading peace. But sometimes people who say they are Christian allow evil to flow from their lips. And where does that evil come from? That evil is in their hearts.

If we will be true Christians we need to not only control what we say, but remove the evil that lies within our hearts. Our love of others should be genuine.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you be certain that the source of your words – your heart – is full of good and not evil?

Self-Control 2

James 3:9-10

It wasn’t until I was a high school freshman that I realized teachers are human. I saw one of my English teachers, one who was always so prim and proper, wearing jeans. Oh, my goodness! Jeans! How could it be that someone so dignified and well-dressed all the time could wear something so casual?

My experience was just part of growing up and I can see now how silly the whole ordeal was. But sometimes the Christian believer can present two faces, and one of them might shock other people.

James mentions controlling the tongue in James 1:26, but also has a great deal to say about taming the tongue in the third chapter. What do we do with our tongues? According to verse 10, what comes out of our mouths?

Many examinations of what James has to say about taming the tongue centers around gossip. Gossip is certainly one of the sins that is very easy to fall into and a sin so often overlooked among Christians. But I believe James’ warnings go far beyond mere gossip.

While it is bad enough that we share stories and lies and rumors behind the backs of others, the attitudes we may express with our mouths can be even worse. On one hand we offer praise to God. We thank God for the gift of salvation and we give honor to our heavenly Father in song and prayer.

But on the other hand we utter curses and oaths against other people, those we are angry with and those we don’t like. As James says, “this should not be.”

If we will live out the life of a Christian then we need to exercise some control over what we say. And our control needs to be over not just the words that we use but our attitudes as well.

If we will be Christians then our attitudes, expressed in the words and tones we use, should show mercy and love and not prejudice and hatred. We should not express judgments and condemnation of others, but be welcoming and gentle in all that we do and say. We must remember that other people are also children of God, made in God’s likeness, and we should treat them with respect and care.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Are there words that need to be removed from your vocabulary? What about your attitude in saying certain things?

Self-Control 1

Proverbs 3:34

The other day while watching a History Channel special about prophecy with many of the famous Christian leaders being quoted in regard to the story, I thought of how many of these leaders had gained notoriety and influence within the faith but are now laid low with disgrace, scandal and controversy, their authority and power now questionable. While there is nothing wrong with gaining influence in the name of religion and there is nothing wrong with garnering fame and popularity because of the good works a person may do, we must be careful how we conduct ourselves as children of God.

Proverbs gives a simple warning to the faithful. Who is lifted up? How are mockers handled?

It is easy to understand that those who are humble in their faith will be lifted up by God for their good attitude and holy behavior, but where does mockery come in? One concept that strikes me is the attitudes that many Christians have toward unbelievers and non-Christians. So many of the faithful keep their faith as a personal gift, hording it, clinging to it with selfish spiritual greed.

We can come to look at the un-churched and non-Christian as someone to be despised and reviled. We can come to a point where we use our faith and belief in Christ as something to mock others with.

We know the truth. We have salvation and hope. But these other people are simply fools headed for damnation. Unfortunately, some Christians can find a secret – and not so secret – delight in this idea.

But God lifts up the humble. God expects us to exercise some self-control, restraining ourselves from becoming arrogant and pushy in our faith. We are certainly to have confidence and assurance in our own salvation, but that is not something to lord over others with.

Rather, we should be self-controlled in our faith and exercise mercy and compassion, even to the most ardent of un-believers. It is not our place to be vain or self-righteous, but caring and loving and forgiving.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Is there a part of your religious behavior that needs to be controlled so that you might give glory to God and mercy to others?

Egkrateia 5

Romans 7:18-20

I have a ritual I go through almost every day.

1. I leave the house intending to go to the post office and then the church.
2. I pull into the church parking lot.
3. I say “Darn it. I forgot to go to the post office.”

You would think that after five years I would remember to go to the post office first, but for some reason I keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

In today’s passage Paul confesses to his own weakness. What struggle does Paul face? What does Paul keep doing? Why does he do this?

Forgetting to go to the post office at the beginning of my day is a nuisance, but really not a big deal. Being unable to break negative habits, on the other hand, is a big deal. Whether it is a strong addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling or pornography, or simply an inability to act in a Godly way when the opportunity arises, we are living in our sinful nature when we fail to do what is right.

Some people have strong addictions that are very hard to break. Some may even require professional (and long-term) counseling to get past. But I believe most people simply fail in small ways on an almost daily basis.

Perhaps you let your temper get the best of you and you took it out on an innocent person. Maybe you had an opportunity to do a good deed for someone but you were too afraid or caught up in your own worries to bother. You may have recognized a needy cause but decided your money is better spent taking care of you and your family.

All failings, big and small, are failings. We may be aware of what is right and good on an intellectual level, but we just can’t get past the inertia that keeps us doing nothing about it.

To get past our failings we need egkrateia – self-control. We need the ability of our souls to overcome the sluggishness and selfishness of our minds and bodies. Through self-control we can see the good and holy things that need to be done and then act on them – carry them out.

But fighting that vicious cycle of always doing what is wrong is difficult to do. How do we overcome the power of the sinful nature? Paul handed his “wretched” self over to Christ, and through the power of Jesus was able to be one of the most powerful and influential believers in history (see Romans 7:24-25). By submitting to Jesus we can gain the true self-control needed to do what is good.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What sinful cycle of yours needs to be handed over to the power of Jesus?

Egkrateia 4

Romans 13:11-14

There is something wonderful about the dawn of a new day. The first light of the morning sun seems to bring hope and happiness. The uncertainty and fears of darkness are gone and we are presented a clear vision.

A member of our previous church was once in Egypt on a tour of the Holy Land when violence broke out at the hotel. The uprising included military force – automatic weapons and tanks! She said that her group huddled against an outside courtyard wall all through the harrowing night as they listened to gunfire streaking overhead. When the next day dawned, she said, everyone inexplicably stood up. They all had a sense of hope in spite of the continued fighting.

In his letter to the believers in Rome, people who were struggling against persecution and a very uncertain future, Paul has an urgent message. What is Paul urging in verse 11? What is near? What are we instructed to do in verses 12 and 13? What instruction is in verse 14?

Many people approach their faith with very little conviction or sense of urgency about it all. Many seem to act as if they are too busy to take the time to worry about believing in God. Perhaps they think there will be plenty of time for that when they get older – when they retire, when the kids are grown and gone.

But Paul points out the urgency we need to have with our faith. The day is today; the hour is now for us to begin walking in step with the Holy Spirit. Each day of living for ourselves and living to gratify our human desires takes us further from God.

The dawn of salvation and new hope – hope for our souls – is here and now. The new day of living out the fruit of the Spirit is in front of us.

And living out the fruit of the Spirit requires egkrateia – self-control. We should take on this aspect of the fruit of the Spirit now, not some distant day in our uncertain future. Now is the time to live out self-control, to shed ourselves of the physical and temporary desires and pleasures of the flesh. Now is the time to clothe ourselves in Jesus and begin living as mature Christians – holy and beloved of God, able to live out all the parts of the fruit of the Spirit.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you exercise spiritual self-control in your faith life today?

Egkrateia 3

Matthew 20:17-19

I think it takes a lot of courage to go to the health clinic and get shots to prevent various diseases. Of course I feel that way, because I am faced with that prospect now – I need to get a vaccination. It takes courage to go do something that you know will be painful. Yet, knowing that what will be done is ultimately for the good, makes it a little easier to have that kind of self-control.

As we prepare for Holy Week and the celebration of Jesus entering Jerusalem, we have this passage from Matthew. What does Jesus tell his disciples? What is the ultimate good that will come of it?

I think it is evident throughout the Gospels that Jesus knew what he was doing and was in complete control of what was happening. He knew what was waiting for him in Jerusalem. And what was waiting for him was much more terrible than a hypodermic needle.

He knew what he would be going through, and certainly there was a part of him that dreaded it (see Matthew 26:39). But he was able to live out the fruit of the Spirit. He was able to live out agape love, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness – all because he was able to live out egkrateia. He had self-control and was able to set himself aside and do what was ultimately the best for everyone else.

Because Jesus had self-control he was able to give himself up sacrificially so that you would be spared from death and hell.

While each of us may not be faced with a sacrifice that requires our very lives, still, as Christians, we are supposed to live a sacrificial life. In so doing we frequently will be faced with the knowledge that we will need to give up something or take on something that we may find uncomfortable.

What is required is our own egkrateia. We are required to have enough self-control that we can willingly accept the pain and discomfort of serving God and others. We need to willingly step out of our comfort zones – sometimes emotional, sometimes psychological, sometimes physical – and be uncomfortable for the ultimate good of God or to help others in need.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Which comfort zone are you being called out of for the kingdom of God?

Egkrateia 1

James 4:1-3

In my early teen years I always wanted a job that allowed me to go through a door marked “Authorized Personnel Only.” What an intriguing sign! I wanted so much to be one of those special people who could go where others do not.

Over the years I have had several jobs that allowed me access to places where others were not permitted. You aren’t missing much.
Most people agree that nothing is more valuable or intriguing than those things that we cannot have. James addresses the problems of desiring what we do not have. What causes conflict? What do people do in an attempt to get what they do not have? According to James, why are we lacking? Why do we not receive?

The last aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. In the Greek it is egkrateia (pronounced en-KRAH-tay-ah) and means precisely what we might suspect. Egkrateia is the ability to be master over yourself, to put other’s needs before your own, to control your own desires, to discipline yourself to do what is right and thus resist temptation.

Living in step with the Spirit, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, means displaying all the aspects that we have seen, not just one or two. But I believe if we can exhibit all the fruit of the Spirit, then we will have self-control. And the reverse is true. If we have self-control we will be able to live out the fruit of the Spirit.

What causes pain and stress in your life? Perhaps desiring things that you do not have or should not have can cause stress. And if you go to God with your requests yet do not receive what you have asked for, could it be that the reason you have asked is selfish and not Godly?

If we are to be true Christians who are able to walk in step with the Holy Spirit of God, then we must have control over ourselves. We must be able to control our desires and wants. Our desires should be only for those things that we need to continue in serving God, not just those things that advance us socially or bring pleasure and satisfaction in selfish ways.

God is willing and anxious, I believe, to give us all good things. He does not want us to do without, to be deprived, to be lacking. But it all comes down to our motivation and how we will manage our resources. To exhibit the fruit of the Spirit we must exercise egkrateia over ourselves, controlling our desires and keeping our focus on the work of God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What do you desire most? Are your desires for God’s kingdom or for selfish reasons?